Transcript
Kristine Zeller: Hi.
kati: Hi.
Kristine Zeller: Hi. Yeah,
kati: Hello. across the room.
Kristine Zeller: Hello?
kati: hello Hi, welcome to the tennis bakery. Your Tennis Fan podcast done by k Christina. Say hello.
Kristine Zeller: And it's so pretty.
kati: Myself, Kati. We are super tennis fans.
Kristine Zeller: We are.
kati: We love watching tennis.
Kristine Zeller: and it be have to
kati: We love discussing tennis. We love...
Kristine Zeller: know
kati: checking out stuff that tennis players do on and off the court and Because we enjoy it so much, we thought we'd have a podcast. and let you listen in.
Kristine Zeller: so' That's what you do.
kati: At least that's what we do.
Kristine Zeller: That's what we do.
kati: That's what we do. And we've been watching the and commenting on the US Open 2026 for you. Whoop! And we are back today with an episode on the men's semifinals, which took place um yesterday. We live in Europe, so we can only comment on the things the day after. If there are night sessions involved, which were the case this time. And so we want to talk about two matches that happened. One between Alexander Zverev.
kati: And um the Russian player... Hashanof. Kaschanov? Never know.
Kristine Zeller: into quite a lot of commentary different commentary like because as you know On my one app, I have a German commentary on the other one, an English one, and they pronounce it all differently.
kati: Mm. Hmm.
Kristine Zeller: So. We don't know how to pronounce him.
kati: No.
Kristine Zeller: Still don't know.
kati: Yeah, we still don't know. and um The other match was, of course, the highly awaited semifinal, ah first semifinal ever of two black men playing each other in a Grand Slam semifinal. Two American players, Francis Tiafoe and Ben Shelton, who battled it out in the night session. Christina, where do you want to start?
Kristine Zeller: Let's start with Sverre, I would say.
kati: All right, because we're Germans.
Kristine Zeller: Or. to the Germans. Yeah.
kati: Yeah.
Kristine Zeller: Yes. Tell me about them. What did you think of the match?
kati: Well, the match it started yesterday at German time, nine o 'clock.
Kristine Zeller: Well...
kati: So I did watch. the first set and the um the pairing being as it is, Zverev seeded one, Khachanov seeded Not seated.
kati: um I was hoping that it would be such an obvious lead for Zverev that I could go to sleep at my regular time of 10 .30. Um, in peace just knowing this will pass throughout the night and everything will be fine And at about 10 .30, I was in my bed and I was just, and I had it open and Sverre was leading. He'd won the first set. He was leading the second set to love. And I was just like.
kati: This is nice. You know, I'm going to. Shut my eyes in.
Kristine Zeller: Smoothie.
kati: Yes. I made the big mistake of not shutting the iPad at that moment, but letting it run. So that I experienced. how it suddenly...
kati: Turned around.
Kristine Zeller: Sleep. me
kati: meaning I couldn't go to sleep.
Kristine Zeller: meek students. Oh that's annoying.
kati: That was annoying.
Kristine Zeller: Hey.
kati: That was annoying. So I was up until past 11 because that second set ended up taking forever in a day, ended up going into a tie break, which was highly anticipated. And I was just.
kati: falling asleep between the points, waking up to see that it was 7 -7, falling asleep again. It was just like madness. And in the end, there was an epic rally between the two of them, which Zverev won um after I don't know how many balls and won that ah game in the tiebreak. And then I let myself go to sleep because I was like, OK, I don't think this guy is going to turn around. like win the next three. I just don't think it's going to happen. Zverev is too consistent for that to fit.
kati: for that as well, even though he played several hours longer that tournament um than Khachanov. And yes, woke up this morning, watched the third or parts of the third set.
kati: Which was also I think a tie -break if I remember correctly
Kristine Zeller: Yeah it was.
kati: Seems like forever i ago.
Kristine Zeller: And an exciting one as well.
kati: Seems like Fervor got, oh yeah, because Khachanov was leading the tiebreak first. And then Zverev was just like, no. no no no no no No, no, no, no. And he shut it down and he is through to the finals. And I must say it's impressive.
kati: So 2026. He has reached three of the four. Grand Slam finals. He's already won one. He reached the semi -final of the fourth tournament. I mean...
kati: There's so few players that can claim that they have come so far in a given tennis year.
Kristine Zeller: And it's also so interesting because he is quite old, right? So it is like... normally something you would expect maybe of a more up and coming or like Middle -aged? tennis player, but he's kind of.
Kristine Zeller: Not at his peak age, you would... Think. But obviously he's turning it around nevertheless. and I think that's even more um impressive.
kati: I don't know. When is peak age for male tennis players? I mean, who knows? He's not because he's not as... old in parenthesis as as djokovic he's quite a few years younger he is a whole Are the tennis generation younger?
Kristine Zeller: All this heat hit 33, 34.
kati: I would have said 32, but...
Kristine Zeller: Something. Yeah. Yeah. so yeah
kati: so yeah so he's i think for men that might be it um And at least for him. it's it and this is without changing his coaching staff without.
kati: making any major moves i find one thing that i really realize is he's a lot better now at doing he does these awesome um volleys at the net now which he didn't used to do. He's so secure with with the volleys at the net that he puts out to the side. and he's apparently evolved in that he was always good from the baseline, but I really think he's gotten better at his, his game at the net. And I mean,
kati: Was it like... Was it okay that it was such a close match? even though this was an unseeded player does this mean he played badly I mean I feel like he didn't play his best tennis but I feel like Khachanov was really playing.
kati: a really good game When he was good, he was good. He just couldn't keep it up, so to say. It was just very... Instable. the the quality. It was always quite high and then additional peaks.
kati: but that's just very consistent he just like puts his foot down and gets the thing done.
Kristine Zeller: Yes, I agree. And I have to say I didn't have high expectations for this match. I thought, oh God, this might be a bit boring because Zverev is so obviously much better than Khachanov. Let's say he's called Hatchanoff. And um I came back from an event yesterday, I think at...
Kristine Zeller: 10 o 'clock or something and started watching then so the first set was ah already done and dusted for Zverev when I started watching. And then I watched exactly what you did what you described, right? I think it was the same for me because I was like...
Kristine Zeller: kind of doing all my evening routine thing for going to bed And then I decided to watch even a bit longer um because it was so exciting. So I found actually the match quite entertaining. surprisingly, and that is I think mostly due to the fact that Khachanov played really well.
Kristine Zeller: Or at least... for some parts of the match played really well and, yeah you know, made it exciting. I also really enjoyed the the tie breaks. I think they were quite exciting and I really liked the match. I was quite surprised by that.
Kristine Zeller: Yeah.
kati: yeah I agree it was definitely more interesting than I I had expected it to be as well.
Kristine Zeller: Um, One thing that already a commentator mentioned after the last Zverev match, and due to the fact that I hadn't watched it fully, I didn't realize it, was the fact that Zverev started to do quite a super long ball bouncing. when he's doing his serve.
Kristine Zeller: And I... Wanted to have a special... kind of Watch out for this. And he did it again. um in this match and even got a penalty for this. um once And it is really different.
Kristine Zeller: to how he's normally serving, right? He's he's taking ages with the ball bouncing. And I'm thinking, why is he doing this? Is he maybe doing this to wait for the crowds to... quiet down a bit more is it just that he has to collect himself more that he's maybe not focused yet or something so I just find it interesting because it is so different to what we normally see from him.
Kristine Zeller: in the surf
kati: I don't think it's that different he's always been very similar to Novak that he rather takes Very long. before he serves. he very frequently gets um What's it called?
kati: Um...
Kristine Zeller: Is it time variation?
kati: file lais year Time violations in a match. especially in big matches.
Kristine Zeller: so
kati: I think there's very few where he doesn't.
Kristine Zeller: yeah that plain that normally you don't get time violations once you start. the ball bouncing because it is actually starting the serve move. It's just that in the case when players take... extra long time for the ball bouncing that they even get the time violation.
Kristine Zeller: let's
kati: No, this is so the the the taking long until his first serve is completely normal, Sverev. There's nothing weird about that.
Kristine Zeller: Realize that.
kati: ah Like, like...
Kristine Zeller: But it takes like much longer than normally, right?
kati: Night. No, like Norvac. Him and Novak both are just players and I'm sure there's others as well.
Kristine Zeller: he He obviously... Does it? lot even longer now. Because I'd never seen him getting in penalties for that.
kati: No, that's what I mean. He normally gets penalties for it it's a complete like sweat
Kristine Zeller: has Has gotten penalties for that before. I have never seen that. well
kati: Well, he's got the violat like the threatening of the violation. He's never lost to serve because of it Like. But I've...
Kristine Zeller: yeah You have two times, right? You get first like a...
kati: Yeah. And that's what you mean, right? Or did he actually...
Kristine Zeller: but
kati: no
Kristine Zeller: No, I mean the first part. yes
kati: Yes, the first part.
Kristine Zeller: Yep.
kati: that He gets that a lot. Like Norvac.
Kristine Zeller: pa
kati: Like...
Kristine Zeller: Okay, I've never seen it for him.
kati: in in in big matches. completely normal for him to get that what is different is between the first and the second serve
Kristine Zeller: What?
kati: This is where he is taking...
Kristine Zeller: load
kati: loads of time this time and bouncing the ball an incredible amount of times and There, there's no official time.
Kristine Zeller: readable and that time
kati: So there's no rule that says...
Kristine Zeller: so there's no rule that says
kati: How long are you supposed to take between the first and the second?
Kristine Zeller: how long your question the reverse the second
kati: And he's taking ages.
Kristine Zeller: and he's taking ages
kati: Right?
Kristine Zeller: if that that's weird thats listen
kati: if he gets it So that is weird. that's this that's like really new and really weird and
Kristine Zeller: like really new and really and
kati: Um,
Kristine Zeller: Um.
kati: Like the...
Kristine Zeller: Like the...
kati: I think most of the people are saying that they don't like it.
Kristine Zeller: i think most of the People are saying... that they heard
kati: The commentators that I'm listening to, like the podcast or the commentators, they're like, this is weird.
Kristine Zeller: The commentators are... thing too. I like this. with
kati: This isn't nice or whatever.
Kristine Zeller: isn't nice or whatever.
kati: i personally think you know if this is something new that he does that he
Kristine Zeller: I personally think, you know... knew that he does that he
kati: Fingers is helping him for some kind of reason because I don't know what he's doing. It's also always a different amount of times. It's not like he does it. ten time Maybe that's what annoys people. You know, when when other players, like when Rafa did his...
kati: his weird ritual or whatever people are like okay then there's that one female player from the Czech Republic can't remember her name right now um ah who always... Touches her nose three times. She bounced the nose, bounced the ball, touched her nose, bounced the ball. So people have different rituals.
kati: Now he does this ball bouncing thing, but it's not an exact number, at least nothing that you could recognize. Maybe he... He wants to hit the line a certain amount of times and bounces until he, I have no clue what he's doing, but it's really triggering people. People are pissed. People are not happy about it.
kati: I'm just like... Alright.
Kristine Zeller: might Be the goal. Righto, tschüss. confuse or rattle. the opponent just a little bit
kati: Maybe.
Kristine Zeller: We don't know.
kati: I mean most people are thinking that It's insecurity on his part.
Kristine Zeller: We don't know. that's what
kati: That's what they're saying, but I find it difficult to... to say or not say I have no idea what he's doing I'm just thinking if it helps him Whatever.
Kristine Zeller: um the German commentator. I don't know who of them it was, whether it was Boris or the other one, whose name I never know. Is that a really funny sentence?
Kristine Zeller: He said, I have to say it in German, we'll translate it later. m Because they had so many long rallies. Lactate must now be cleaned away at the baseline. So you have to clean, clean away the lactate.
Kristine Zeller: from the ground. no what's What's the English term for Grundlinie? Ground line? No, that's not it. Translation, surely.
kati: Hmm.
Kristine Zeller: um
kati: Well, like the end of the quote, like the line at the end of the quote.
Kristine Zeller: Yeah. Anyway, I found this really funny Lactate has to be cleaned away from the baseline.
Kristine Zeller: Apart from that. And two more things that I wanted to mention um regarding this match. the, or did you have anything to say about the match itself?
kati: ah No, and... um because weekend and kids i i also the the tennis i watched today was really very much out of the corner of my eye so i don't think i have very many details on the matches today
Kristine Zeller: um I wanted to mention the fact that um on the court... And I think also on the side of the stadium, there was this um memorial date, right? The 11th of September, 2001. because it was. yesterday obviously.
Kristine Zeller: And I just found it very nice that they... that they put it there and um I mean, we haven't discussed the second match yet, but Ben did when he won it also reference it in his on -court interview, which I think was really...
Kristine Zeller: a good a good thing to do. Um, And I learned um something about the official memorial that's been um held or has been held yesterday in New York. And that is normally you have six minutes of silence because of six different things happening on the 11th of September. But this year is the first year where they added a seventh.
Kristine Zeller: Minute of silence. in this memorial because um It is now official or like it has been official for a while, but they now included it into the memorial that even more people died after the attack because of like after effects of what happened in the attack than with the attack itself. and that is ah mostly helpers.
Kristine Zeller: that try to free people um from underneath all these building blocks and stuff because they um breathe in like poisonous. gases or or air or something that resulted from the fire and and all the things happening there. And so the seventh minute is dedicated to these people.
Kristine Zeller: Which I find... um really good that they changed this and i found it also oh god So terrible to see because the cameras also sometimes when they, because sometimes they show New York, right? The cameras and.
Kristine Zeller: and This time they also showed um New York and the Twin Towers and because they tried to... kind of rebuild the Twin Towers by lasers beaming up into the air. at at the exactly the location where normally the Twin Towers would have.
Kristine Zeller: would have been. um And I just find it. Awkward. I find it so harrowing. and beautiful at the same time that they do these memorial things so that we never forget
kati: Yeah, I mean, it was the 25th anniversary, so it's a big... Like it's a... Not celebratory anniversary, but it was the 25th. It's 25 years ago since that happened and it's long and it was interesting because my kids pointed out the date and they didn't know what it meant.
kati: I was like, oh, interesting. it's such a like For our generation, it's such a big it was such a big moment. Everyone knows where they were when it happened. It changed our lives, all of our lives, everything that we do. and um It was just so interesting to to realize that they don't have very much comprehension about that. and And it got me wondering, like, is this already included now in history lessons?
kati: Like at school, because... What? you know, you need to, i think it's shaped. if that's what History Listens are about. it's shaped who we are today. So, but I mean, that's not the topic of this podcast, but um yeah, I thought they did that yesterday and I thought that was nice. and um I also thought it was good. that that Ben mentioned it and...
kati: Yeah.
Kristine Zeller: Yeah, that's it. and um Maybe moving on to the next topic is the fact that, of course, there were so many celebrities there, right? Four. Both the matches.
Kristine Zeller: and Did you have a favorite celebrity being there?
kati: Like I said, I didn't have much time to... um to to really look at the screen but ah um but i mean serena was looking good
Kristine Zeller: caught She looked fabulous. Really beautiful, right? Oh god. Adrian Brody was there. um looking fabulous himself. And also i like a a million more like famous, um I don't know, actors and sports people. So crazy. But my favorite pair, like um duo. With Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson.
Kristine Zeller: Because they sat next to each other. And I think they're just a fabulous pair. And they also play together in True Detectives, which is one of the greatest. like really great a series that exists, True Detective. If you haven't watched it, you have to watch it. And both of them together watching tennis, it was just perfect.
kati: Yeah, they were having fun.
Kristine Zeller: Yeah. I really love i really love that.
kati: They were really having fun.
Kristine Zeller: Yeah, I think Matthew McConaughey is very often um there and watching tennis at the US Open? I can't recall having seen Woody Harrelson there as well. but them being there together as a duo.
Kristine Zeller: It was just perfection. The camera also really often filmed them. They also like them, I think. That's the first match. Yeah.
kati: Yeah, that was the first match. And, I mean, I thought... I thought Zverev did good in his on -court interview. he knew He knew then already that he was going into a final against an American man.
kati: against a very popular american man no matter who of those two um would have won it would have been it's gonna be an incredibly tough crowd it's gonna be just out of this world. And I thought he did a really good job and kind of like still trying to be nice and trying to win them over. and You know, just being a bit.
kati: Uh... like bull and um i think that's all you can do really to Just hope they don't boo you.
Kristine Zeller: Yeah, that's right. I think that's right. um Shall we discuss the match? The second match. Yep.
kati: Yep.
Kristine Zeller: So should I start? Um... I really like the match. I have to say. and I also didn't have the time to watch it fully. like I did, I think, a million things next to watching the match, starting from working out.
Kristine Zeller: ah showering. um having to do the laundry, um have to prepare the lunch for my daughter's birthday, who's it today. I don't know, there were a million things that I did next to watching um the match, but I kind of found myself really reeled into because there were also a lot of long rallies and interesting shots and and all of that. So I very often paused with whatever I was doing, just watching the match because it was really, really cool. At least for...
Kristine Zeller: long long stretches of time there were also some dull moments i think but mostly it was really good And I think Tiafoe did really well to win the first set because I think he really played well. I think ah he really played well.
Kristine Zeller: But then in the end and overall... I think it was just. Quite clear that Ben's tennis was... It was better to, no, I'm saying today, but it was yesterday, right?
Kristine Zeller: um There were quite a few ah breaks and also re -breaks and fun rallies. And yeah, I just i just really loved watching that. I really enjoyed it how about you?
Kristine Zeller: Yeah
kati: Yeah. um didn really did not dedicate the time to this match that I would normally like to dedicate to this kind of match. um I found...
kati: I don't think TFO was... So much. better in the first set than I've ever seen him play. But Ben was just a bit flat. He just didn't come out quite awake. I don't know what was going on.
kati: he kind of needed a bit of ah an awakening. And in the first set, I was watching it and thinking like, Tiafoe wants it more. It doesn't seem like Ben wants it that much. And I think that when he was worried that he was maybe losing it, he...
kati: remembered what he was actually trying to do. Ben and got it back together. um In general, I got myself thinking, I think... Yes. to- today.
kati: TFO ceiling is higher than Ben's ceiling. but TFO can't... He just... Can't keep up her ceiling. And.
kati: Ben can just keep at this really high level. And um yeah, they were really duking it out. They were having fun. And. um It was just beautiful to see, you know because because they're friends.
kati: And you could really tell the appreciation they have for each other. And it was a really... uh enjoyable match and of course um as we knew it would be a historic moment for for a black american to get into the to the finals of the of the US Open. um And yeah, Ben did it.
kati: Ben did it.
Kristine Zeller: So proud of himself. I was waiting for him to do the and phone call celebration again. Like this. you know, kind of phone call, put it down thing that he did after the Alcars match.
Kristine Zeller: But maybe this is kind of only a celebration move once he really feels It was like difficult enough. to win the match.
kati: and i kind of I kind of also find a lot of it was a bit subdued because of course the crowd wasn't as crazy as during the Alcaraz match also because it was just...
Kristine Zeller: Hmm. Yes.
kati: Who are they for? Even when it ended, it didn't like erupt in craziness because... Like who are they supposed to be for? They love them both, you know? and i And I really think if they could have chosen, I think that that's... tad more of a for TFO, for Francis TFO.
kati: Hmm.
Kristine Zeller: So don't think it was overly leaning into that direction, right?
kati: No no no.
Kristine Zeller: That they weren't like unfair.
kati: Yeah. Not at all.
Kristine Zeller: to bend at something. um But yes, I think so too. so um Yeah. I ah really enjoyed it. There were really cool stretches in the match where I think they played. well both of them and it was really cool and also some fun shots that I would have expected from Carlos and yeah I really i really like that match.
Kristine Zeller: Um. But still... like comparing it to the women's matches. Like the women's semifinal matches. I found them.
Kristine Zeller: more even more exciting, like the women's. semi -final matches. how about How about you?
kati: Yeah, me too.
Kristine Zeller: Yeah.
kati: Yeah, I mean... Preaching to the choir I very often find the women's matches better than the men's matches um And and i would I would agree on this. But I don't know if it's because of my attention span. with the say I find it hard to say if I'd had...
kati: the time to like lie on my couch sick like I did. when I watched part of the women's matches, if I would have enjoyed the second match.
Kristine Zeller: you would have maybe have been a bit more invested or something you mean that we have
kati: yeah exactly so i find it really hard to and maybe we don't have to compare maybe it's just
Kristine Zeller: Maybe.
kati: Maybe it's just different. Um,
Kristine Zeller: Yeah, I think for me it was mostly because I think I allocated like the similar. amount of time and attention to to both of the female semis and men semis but I think for me, it was I kind of went into the men's semifinals already being so disappointed that Carlos is not there. I think that it's also kind of a really, ah a dark cloud was already hanging over these matches, at least for me.
Kristine Zeller: Um... I have one more question to you. And that is... You'll notice that sometimes players do these. Mm. I would call it ball slash racket tricks when they are waiting for the other player to serve or like waiting in general.
kati: Well, depends on the player, but some do, yes.
Kristine Zeller: Yeah, some some do it. And I wanted to ask you, do do you like this in general or do you think it's kind of a bit of a show off?
kati: Well, it's faff, but... I don't care I don't care.
Kristine Zeller: so You don't you don't
kati: i don't care
Kristine Zeller: You don't care.
kati: I... It doesn't bother me.
Kristine Zeller: It doesn't.
kati: But I also do not welcome it.
Kristine Zeller: you're Neutral. You're taking a neutral stance.
kati: The initial.
Kristine Zeller: Okay, I love it. I really love it. I would love to see like an hour of them doing that. Like I would even like a competition. Where players do that. he Because I love it. Like both Ben and Tiafo did it like.
Kristine Zeller: throwing up their racket and then it was turning a few times before they caught it in the other hand or like I also love like I think Carlos does this very, very extensively because he knows that The crowd loves it. And he does always this kind of...
Kristine Zeller: I mean, not only him, but he does it for a quite prolonged time for this bow the ball bouncing on the racket frame, right? where you where you have the racket. Like. Vertically.
Kristine Zeller: Yeah, vertically and not horizontally or something. So and you bounce the ball on the racket frame. And I really love that. I just love to see how. obviously comfortable they are with balls and with the rackets and I think this has a little bit of a circus.
Kristine Zeller: Vibe to it. without harming any animals.
kati: well Well, I mean, the number one guy ah with this, no questions asked, is Tommy Paul.
Kristine Zeller: like
Kristine Zeller: Oh yeah. He does it a lot.
kati: Tommy.
Kristine Zeller: That's true.
kati: He does it every single change of ends.
Kristine Zeller: Hmm.
kati: He does it, especially when he's receiving. I don't even I don't know if he does it when he's serving. But when he's receiving, he'll literally do it every single change of ends. So, yeah, but I'm like, yeah, whatever, let's just play tennis um or watch tennis. um Two things that I still had on on the match. The one was the...
kati: The tiff that Shelton got into with the female referee.
Kristine Zeller: I think I didn't see that one.
kati: So.
Kristine Zeller: What was it all about?
kati: There was a female at a referee. She's French. She's often on the tour. And... um Shelton... like got into discussions with her twice. Once it was about the TFO was taking too long to serve. He felt like the shot clock was running down and she wasn't giving him any warnings.
kati: And he was complaining to her about it. And he was like saying to her like, that's on you. That's on you. That's not on him. That's on you. And then he was also complaining at one point.
kati: He was gonna serve. And in the moment we wanted to serve, um TFO said, stop, stop, wait, wait. And he served anyway. and then the umpire was like sorry Ben we have to take that point back because he said stop and he's like yeah but you didn't stop the point you should have said something right away so Both things like... Like, okay, I understand. um but I somehow I didn't. 100 % like the tone.
kati: I didn't.
Kristine Zeller: was it Was it like condescending or what?
kati: Mmm. I felt it was a bit condescending, especially this like, that's on you, not on him.
Kristine Zeller: else it
kati: like why are you telling her like what's on her either there's so many different ways you can say You know, it was just a bit, I felt it was a... a bit out of line and if I did not know that He had such a cool girlfriend and was such a... big fan of also the sportswomanship of his girlfriend and had so many strong women in his life, I'd be like, hmm.
kati: So I don't think it's the fact that she was a woman, because there are some tennis players who have issues with being refereed by a woman. I don't think it's that based on other facts that I have from his life. But maybe he has an issue in general with accepting the...
kati: the role of the referee the is it no the umpire and is i think is the right word the role of the umpire and the um Yeah, so I was just like, huh.
Kristine Zeller: Hmm. Yeah, i didn't I didn't see that. I think that I briefly saw right from the corner of my eye that there was a discussion, but I didn't. kind of think about it too much, but yeah. Let's keep him keep him on watch.
Kristine Zeller: for that.
kati: Yeah, he's on umpire respect watch
Kristine Zeller: when he enters the final.
kati: He's on Empire Respect Watch.
Kristine Zeller: Yeah.
kati: And the other thing was, of course, that he dedicated the win to his grandma.
Kristine Zeller: Hmm. That was cute.
kati: You know, the whole thing So he did the grandma, then he did the...
Kristine Zeller: Yeah.
kati: Let's win this for the USA. And then he did the 9 -11.
kati: That's also all very smart. Like I don't want to say it didn't all come from the heart. He's definitely a patriotic guy I'm sure he loved his Nana. But it's very smart.
Kristine Zeller: He really wants people to like him, right? This will give him some upper hand in the...
kati: Oh, my.
Kristine Zeller: and you find i mean he anyway, would have the upper hand, right? In the final.
kati: yeah and now that dad's being interviewed about his mom and you know she was a black woman and it was all about like, you know, representing, you know, dedicating it to her that he is a black man, is playing on Arthur Ashe, which is named after the last black man who was in the American, um the US Open finals. and Like I got super emosh.
kati: I got super emotional, but then I was just like... It's also very smart. Which doesn't make it less emotional and it doesn't make it less true. But it's still very smart. He's a clever boy.
Kristine Zeller: Yeah. Good for him. I think he can use everything. that he has. for his advantage in the final.
kati: Yeah, my kids were asking me um who my favorite coach is on the tour. And I have less opinions. on the tennis coaches than I do on the NFL coaches.
kati: So I was kind of struggling to... to I don't think i'm I'm there yet that I can really, I have to. do some research before I can really... state my opinion on that I know who I don't like as you know but For me, I think Ben's dad is...
kati: If I had to pick one, I'd be choosing Ben's dad. Brian.
Kristine Zeller: It's really up there, right? oh ah also like kind of for how he supports ben right it is just such a natural It's not kind of. overly done or like you know it it just feels coming so much from the heart but still being so professional I think this must also be super hard. And we also see with other players, right? That it can be hard. like Tsitsipas for example with his dad and Also, I think it is such a stark contrast to other...
Kristine Zeller: players who even do still um work with their with their dads very closely. like For example, Sasha and his dad. i just I just think it's such a difference because Sasha's dad always sits there and. basically looks the same, like whatever's happening on court. He always looks the same. And I think Ben's dad is really much more.
Kristine Zeller: Yeah. you know kind of doing supportive noises or like shows his emotions in a supportive way and I just think that's um quite the difference.
kati: Yeah, I mean, it's a different character. I find what you do see of... um as far as relationship with his dad and his brother it seems nice like it seems to be a ah good a good relationship like ah and not one that I would see as problematic in any kind of way.
kati: And you can also see the love, like he's touched by the stuff, like when he won the French Open, you could just see how emotional his dad was. And it was beautiful to... To see what it. what it means to him also as a dad. And I think that's also what's really special about Brian is that.
kati: He's so proud. Like he can't, it it's he's proud in a different way than coaches are proud of their players. Like when his son does cool stuff or stuff that where you can see that he's enjoying himself.
kati: like he's happy for him and he's proud of him and that's just so beautiful to see that he can enjoy his son's tennis like that. It's just. It's just awesome. And ah yeah, so it's him and Conchita Martinez who coaches Andriva, which came to mind for me.
kati: Conchita Martinez is, um I thought for a long time, the only women coach. Coaching Your Top 20.
Kristine Zeller: All right, this relationship.
kati: But I was wrong because Marta Kostiuk was also trained by a woman. But I don't know a lot about her yet. But I saw that the other day that she also has a female coach. And I mean, Coco, of course, she doesn't have a coach at all.
kati: But there is a woman in her box. So it's also. ah Maybe. Does that count? I don't know. But if I had to choose two, it would be Brian and it would be Conchita Martinez. How about you? Would you be like...
kati: today Who would you say are your favorite coaches?
Kristine Zeller: Of the today's matches? Or you mean in general?
kati: No, no, in general.
Kristine Zeller: Okay. No, without thinking about it. and Of course, it would be Ferrero and Carlos back when they still work together. um I know many people don't like their relationship and said it was...
Kristine Zeller: Kind of. too much and Carlos cannot be without him and then you know kind of all the all the stories about how they parted ways was also obviously a bit Problematic. I would say. But back when they worked together, I just loved i just loved it. I just loved it so much.
Kristine Zeller: So that would be my... number one for now, but I have never thought about it. more structured than that.
kati: Yeah. Yeah, so I'm gonna be keeping an eye on on More of the coaches. Because I find, yeah, I mean, it's it's right to put them in the... In the limelight somehow. Yes. So. um Do you have anything else on that on that match? No. yeah Shaking head. um So we are moving on to the finals weekend.
kati: to- Today... We have the women's finals. But it's late. It's a night session. I think if I remember correctly. Because I remember checking the time and thinking.
Kristine Zeller: It was German time. 10 o 'clock.
kati: 10 o 'clock. Yes, 10 o 'clock in Germany.
Kristine Zeller: Yes. enough me
kati: That for me is, I'm not going to start watching that much. That's going to be a pancake Sunday breakfast. kind of, kind of thing. um which is going to be... seeds number one and number two.
kati: Irina Sabalenka against Elena. Rebecca, you know. Hmm. What's happening? What's happening, Miss Tsella?
Kristine Zeller: Somehow, I'm a bit afraid that it can be not an exciting match. I don't know why but... I think there is a possibility that it can be. Not as exciting.
Kristine Zeller: even though I'm very excited for the match. But I'm a bit. kind of bracing myself. Because there could be a world where Sabalenka maybe kind of. loses it again, as she has in the past.
Kristine Zeller: tournaments. And Rebecca had just plays this very ice cold. very clinical. tennis and it's all. over quickly.
Kristine Zeller: I don't hope that will be the case, but there is a world where this could happen.
kati: I always feel like that before finals. In general.
Kristine Zeller: Oh yeah. it
kati: Because it's always only one match.
Kristine Zeller: um
kati: that day.
Kristine Zeller: to carry like a lot of weight.
kati: it has to has to carry the whole It has to carry the whole day and it has to carry. The whole tournament, right? This is it. This is it. One person will have gone through the week winning seven matches and only one.
kati: and except if you're Jean -Chen Nguyen and you go through qualifying and you win seven, but don't reach the final. So there's only one person who can, and therefore I have the feeling that you have, I have very often in front of finals, like it's going to be a dud.
kati: It's gonna be a dud. Don't get your hopes up too high. Just. take it all in and I think the fact that it's those two at least And with the performance that both of them have had in the last matches.
kati: can give us hope. that it's going to be awesome.
Kristine Zeller: We'll definitely be there for it and watch every second of it.
kati: Yep. who's what Who's winning?
Kristine Zeller: Um... Uh, hmm. So. I don't just have to remind you that my predictions in general are completely shit. So um I said that the final for the men's would be won by Carlos Alcaraz.
Kristine Zeller: Which obviously... will most likely not happen.
kati: Ugh.
Kristine Zeller: And for the women, I said that Coco Gauff will win it. which also is very unlikely because she's not playing in the final.
kati: Yes, but I mean, you had to choose one of 128 players. I think you shouldn't be too hard on yourself that you didn't get that right.
Kristine Zeller: Yeah. Yeah, but I just wanted to... to say that again so it really my predictions cannot be trusted at all but just i'm still predicting I think I'm predicting Rebecca now.
Kristine Zeller: I want actually Sabalenka to win. Because I think, well, it would be her only slam. Like her only slam that she won this year, right? And I just somehow think she deserved it because she also has... gone through so much shit and, you know, kind of push back from the press and all of that. So therefore I think.
Kristine Zeller: She deserves to win and I would like her to win, but I think Rebecca will win it. What do you think?
kati: Oh, I want so much wasabi to win it. I want more for Sabi to win it than for Zasha to win the men's. I really want her to win this game. um I'll be rooting for her.
kati: Wall of Asleep. and And I also think she's going to win. I think she's gonna put her big girl panties on. She's going to. Have a grudge.
kati: for the fact that she knows she's losing number one. She's trying to get the three -peat, which is... so unusual in um In tennis.
kati: to get a three -peat of a Grand Slam. And so, yeah. I'm saying Sabi's going to get it done. That's what I'm going with.
Kristine Zeller: I love your positive attitude towards that. And let's both.
kati: I don't feel very positive. I feel more like um' i'm I'm hyping her up. in an in an
Kristine Zeller: i think that i think she can I think she needs that. I think she needs some manifesting from our side.
kati: Yeah. Okay, let's try and make this happen.
Kristine Zeller: Let's do that. Yeah.
kati: Yeah, so... um Let's see if we completely failed in making any kind of... significant prognosis. I also predicted Coco would win, but I did think she was playing the final against Sabi, so at least...
kati: that part came true um and But I did also didn't do the whole elaborate exercise that Christina did. So it was easy for me to say. um Yes, and we will be back. to- Tomorrow.
kati: to discuss the final of the women's and do a small preview to the final of the men's Alexander Zverev against Ben Shelton. which we will most likely be able to watch still on Sunday because it's... A lot earlier, it's going to start at 8 o 'clock.
Kristine Zeller: Check the time.
kati: Yeah, it's two o 'clock in the afternoon on.
Kristine Zeller: At Google, it still says DVD.
kati: Sunday. Yeah, you see, that's because you always look at Google. Now, the men's finals at US Open this year, I think everything that I've heard so far starts at two o 'clock in the afternoon, which is why Zascha knew that he had to start getting used to playing earlier.
kati: You know what I mean?
Kristine Zeller: I know what you mean.
kati: So.
Kristine Zeller: Fingers crossed that we can watch it still on Sunday.
kati: um I think we will. or at least parts of it. Yeah. Alrighty. Until then. Bye.
